The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor device manufacturing and, more particularly, to fabrication of window cavity cap structures in wafer level packaging of semiconductor devices.
Bolometers are devices that act as thermal infrared (IR) sensors by absorbing electromagnetic radiation and thus increase their temperature. The resulting temperature increase is a function of the radiant energy striking the bolometer and is measured with for example, thermoelectric, pyroelectric, resistive or other temperature sensing principles. In the context of uncooled infrared imaging technologies, an infrared bolometer focal plane array (FPA) typically refers to resistive microbolometers, in which a temperature increase is measured by a corresponding resistance change. More specifically, a microbolometer is a type of resistor used as a detector in a thermal camera, for example. The microbolometer may include a tiny vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon resistor with a large temperature coefficient on a silicon element with large surface area, low heat capacity and good thermal isolation. Infrared radiation from a specific range of wavelengths strikes the vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon and changes its electrical resistance. Changes in scene temperature cause changes in the bolometer temperature, which are converted to electrical signals and processed into an image.
As is the case with certain microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices, bolometers may need to be packaged in vacuum conditions for best performance. Exemplary requirements for the packaging of bolometer arrays include reliable hermetic sealing, the integration of IR window material with good infrared transmission, and high yield/low cost packaging. Both the reliability and the cost of MEMS devices depend upon encapsulation techniques chosen. For MEMS based bolometers, packaging may be done at the chip level or at the wafer level. A common way of packaging in this instance is to fabricate a protective, IR-transmitting cap wafer and bond it to an exposed surface of the semiconductor substrate containing the active areas prior to dicing. The cap wafer is formed with cavities therein such that when the cap wafer is flipped and bonded to the device wafer, the cavities provide sufficient clearance to accommodate and protect the MEMS devices therein.